Suspension knock-down shelter



y 0, 1965 n. K. MILLER 3,195,507

SUSPENSION KNOCK-DOWN SHELTER Filed June 21, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 DONALD K. MILLER M M A TTORNE Y y 0, '1965 D. K. MILLER 3,195,507

' SUSPENSION KNOCK-DOWN SHELTER Filed June 21, 1963 z Sheets-Sheet 2 DONALD K, MILLER ATTORNEY 3,195,507 SUSPENSION KNOCK-DOWN SHELTER Donald K. Miller, 309 Woodmont Ave., Steubenville, Ohio Filed June 21, 1963, Ser. No. 289,598 3 Elaims. (Cl. 119--23) The present invention relates to suspended knock-down shelters, which may for example take the form of a bird house.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a suspended knock-down shelter comprised of a minimum number of parts.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a suspended knock-down shelter in which the parts are supported upon each other in such a way as to preclude undesired disassembly of the structure.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a suspended knock-down shelter having means for firmly supporting a roof in a desired position thereon.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a suspended knock-down shelter the parts of which require a minimum of fabrication or finishing.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a suspended knock-down shelter which will be relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble and disassemble, and rugged and durable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of the floor and two side walls of a shelter according to the present invention at an initial stage of the assembly;

FIGURE 2 is a view of a further step in the assembly of the present invention, showing the addition of a front Wall to be assembled parts shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front perspective view of a still further stage of the assembly showing the operation of FIGURE 2 completed;

FIGURE 4 is a rear perspective view of a shelter according to the present invention showing the rear wall about to be assembled;

FIGURE 5 is a view from the same angle as FIG- URES 1-3 but showing the rear wall in place and the roof about to be added; and

FIGURE 6 is a front perspective view of the completed shelter with the roof in place.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, the steps in the assembly of a typical structure according to the present invention are shown seriatim in the various figures of the drawings. The typical structure shown in the drawings is a bird house comprised of six separable sections: a floor 1, opposite side walls 3 and 5, a front wall 7, a rear wall 9 and a roof 11. The assembly of these parts will be described step by step, thereby to give the best appreciation of the structure and relationship of the parts.

Floor 1 is characterized by a pair of oppositely extending slots 13 and 15. Slot 13 opens through the front edge of floor 1 and is parallel to and spaced closely adjacent one side edge of floor 1, while slot 15 opens through the rear edge of floor 1 and is spaced parallel and closely adjacent to the side edge of floor 1 opposite slot 13. Side wall 3 has three slots 17, 19 and 21, each of I which opens through a different side edge of wall 3. Slot 17 opens through the upwardly inclined upper edge of wall 3, while slot 19 opens through the bottom edge of wall 3 and slot 21 opens through the rear edge of wall 3. Slots 19 and 21 intersect in a cutaway portion as at 23. Wall 5 is provided with slots 25, 27 and 29 which open United States Patent 0 through the upper, lower and front edges, respectively, of wall 5 adjacent the front, rear and bottom edges of Wall 5, respectively.

Although a structure according to the present invention may be assembled in any of a variety of sequences, the sequence illustrated in the drawings has as its first step the assembly of side walls 3 and 5 to floor 1, by causing slots 13 and 21 to interfinger and by causing slots 15 and 29 to interfinger. Assembly is accomplished simply by moving walls 3 and 5 in opposite directions toward floor 1 until the slots interengage and the three parts 1, 3 and 5 have the relationship shown in FIGURE 2.

The next step is the addition of front wall 7, which for this purpose is provided with vertically extending slots 31 and 33 both of which open through the bottom edge of the wall 7 adjacent opposite side edges of wall 7. Wall 7 also has a hole 35 through which birds may enter and leave the completed bird house. To assemble wall 7 to the structure of parts 1, 3 and 5, it is necessary only to move front wall 7 downwardly from the position shown in FIGURE 2, until slots 31 and 33 mate with slots 17 and 25, respectively, in side walls 3 and 5, respectively. At that time, the parts 1, 3, 5 and 7 assume the position shown in FIGURE 3.

The structure shown in FIGURE 3 is a very stable configuration of parts. Side walls 3 and 5 and floor 1 cannot be removed from the assembly by moving them in any direction. To disassemble the assembly of parts shown in FIGURE 3, it is necessary to remove front wall 7 the opposite of the way it was inserted, that is, by raising it out of the assembly, whereupon the remaining parts can be disassembled.

The next step is to add rear wall 9, and this operation is shown in FIGURE 4. FIGURE 4, it should be noted, is a rear perspective view of the assembly of FIGURE 3, so that to view the assembly of FIGURE 4 correctly, it is necessary to rotate the assembly of FIGURE 3; for example, if FIGURE 3 were considered to be a left front perspective view of the assembly, then FIGURE 4 would be a left rear perspective view of the assembly. Rear wall 9 is provided with a pair of vertically extending slots 37 and 39 adjacent opposite vertical side edges of wall 9.

Slots 37 and 39 do not extend to the upper edge of rearwall 9, however, as the material between the slots and the adjacent side edges of wall 9 is cut away as at 41 on each side, so as to leave an upwardly extending flap 43 at the top of wall 9. Flap 43 is of a horizontal length substantially greater than its height above the upper ends of slots 37 and 39. Flap 43 has a hole 45 therethrough by which the entire shelter may be suspended, as will be seen at a later stage of the assembly. To add rear wall 9, it is necessary only to bring it up from below in the position of FIGURE 4, so that slots 27 and 19 in side walls 5 and 3, respectively, mate with slots 37 and 39, respectively, in wall 9. The assembly with rear wall 9 in place is shown in front perspective in FIGURE 5.

The addition of roof 11 is shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. FIGURE 5 shows the assembly with roof 11 poised above it. For purposes of assembling roof 11 and maintaining it in place, roof 11 is provided with an elongated slot 47 of a length preferably about equal to the horizontal length of upwardly extending flap 43. Slot 47 does not extend through any side wall of roof 11 but is parallel and adjacent to the upper rear edge of roof 11 and has its ends spaced equal short distances from the inclined side edges of roof 11. To add roof 11 to the previous assembly, it is necessary only to slip flap 43 through slot 47 and to permit met 11 to rest on the inclined upper edges of side wall 3 and 5 and the horizontal upper edge of front wall 7, in the position shown in FIGURE 6. In that position, roof 11 can be raised vertically but cannot become misaligned relative to the shelter in any'otherway, for slot 47 closely encompasses flap 43 at the'base of flap 43'and flap 43 accordingly prevents twisting of roof 11 inany' direction.

The assembled deviceas seen in' FIGURE 6 can then a ing slots disposed adjacent and extending lengthwise of its 1 be-suspended as by a nail 'or other-suspension means through hole 45. In that suspended position, the shelter is suspended from rear wall 9. Specifically, side Walls 3 and '5 are suspended from rearwall 9While front wall 7 and floor 1 are both suspended from side WallsS and 5. As stated above, the assembly of parts 1, 3, 5 and 7 cannot be disassembled-other than by removing part v7 the way it was added.- Similarly, the assembly of parts 1, 3, 5 and 9 cannot be disassembled, even inthe absence of part 7, except by removing part9 in a directionoppoa site to the direction in whichit was added to the assembly.

"zontal slotsa-djacent their lower ends, the slot of one sidewall opening to the front and the slot of the other sidewall opening to the rear, the floor having oppositely openopposite side edges, the slots of the'fioor mating with the slots of the sidewalls, the sidewalls having upwardly extending open ended slots adjacent the front of the sidewallfanddownwardly extending open ended slots adjacent the'rear of the sidewalls,;a front wall having downwardly extending open ended slots adjacent opposite sides of the front wall, and a rear 'wall having upwardly extending open ended slots adjacent opposite sides of the rear wall,

the slots of the front wall mating with the front slots of In connection with ro of 11, it is important to note that Y the roof extends laterally outwardly beyond at least wall 9 and its associated'fiap 43, so that at least-wall 9'comprises Wall means and that flap 43 or whatever passes through holef45 comprises suspension means interconsite end edge portions of flap 43, adjacent oppositeends of slot 47, are spaced apart from each othersubstantial distances along roof 11 thereby to hold roof 11 against 'mis alignment. Of course, it is not necessary that flap 43 be continuous between its opposite side edges, and it is possible to provide a pair of upwardly extending spaced members to perform the function of flap 43. Such members can be connected to one wall as in the case of wall 9, or can be connected to different walls asin the case of walls 3 and 5.

Similarly, although the present invention has been shown as embodied in a bird house,'it is obviously adaptable for use in a variety of other-shelters such as bird feeding stations and other'roofed supports. 7

From a consideration of the foregoing'disclosure, therefore, it will be obvious thatall the initiallyrecited' objects of the present invention have been achieved.

Although the present invention has been described and I illustrated in connection with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, as those skilled in this art will readily understand.

Such modifications and variations are considered to be defined by the appended claims. What is claimed is: r

the sidewallsand the fslots' of the rear Wall mating with the rear slots of the sidewalls.

2 A knock-down shelter as claimed in claim 'l and a roof resting on the topsof'the'walls, the rear wall extending through the roof for suspending the shelter from the rear wall. 7 g

' 3. A knock-down shelter of sheetmaterial comprising a pair of sidewalls, a floor, a front wall, a rear wall and 'a root, the sidewalls having'subst'anti'a-lly horizontal open ended slots adjacent the lower ends or" the sidewalls, a least one slot openingt-othe rear, 'the fi-oor having open ended slots adjacent the sides ofthe floor mating with the slots of the sidewalls, the-sidewalls having upwardly extending open "ended slots; adjacent the front end lot the sidewalls, -the frontwall having downwardly extending open ended. slots adjacent the sides of the front wall mating with the upwardly extending slots in the side walls,

' the-sidewalls having downwardly extending'open ended "slots adjacent the rearend of the sidewalls, the back wall having upwardly extending open ended slots adjacent the sides of the back wall mating'with the downwardlyeX- tending slots in the sidewalls, therear of the floor terminating contiguous to'the downwardly extending slots in the sidewalls, the lower portion of the back wall closing 1. A knock-down shelter of ,she'etim'aterial comprising V I v R. CHAMBLEEExamiri-er,

a pair of sidewalls and a floor, the side walls havin-g h'orithe horizontal slot in the sidewall opening to the rear thereby locking the floor in place, aslot in the roof adjacent the rear edge of 'the roof, and a projection on the upper end-of the back wall projecting through the slot in ,the roof-, the eoact-in'g material of the sidewalls, back wall and projection being designed and constructed to support the shelter suspended fromthe projection. 7

References Cited .by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS w1, 791,956' 2/31 CoWles 1l9-23 -2,092,'155" 9/37 'Hackett ll919 

1. A KNOCK-DOWN SHELTER OF SHEET MATERIAL COMPRISING A PAIR OF SIDEWALLS AND A FLOOR, THE SIDE WALLS HAVING HORIZONTAL SLOTS ADJACENT THEIR LOWER ENDS, THE SLOT OF ONE SIDEWALL OPENING TO THE FRONT AND THE SLOT OF THE OTHER SIDEWALL OPENING TO THE REAR, THE FLOOR HAVING OPPOSITELY OPENING SLOTS DISPOSED ADJACENT AND EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF ITS OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES, THE SLOTS OF THE FLOOR MATING WITH THE SLOTS OF THE SIDEWALLS, THE SIDEWALLS HAVING UPWARDLY EXTENDIGN OPEN ENDED SLOTS ADJACENT THE FRONT OF THE SIDEWALL AND DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING OPEN ENDED SLOTS ADJACENT THE REAR OF THE SIDEWALLS, A FRONT WALL HAVING DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING OPEN ENDED SLOTS ADJACENT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE FRONT WALL, AND A REAR WALL HAVING UPWARDLY EXTENDING OPEN ENDED SLOTS ADJACENT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE REAR WALL, THE SLOTS OF THE FRONT WALL MATING WITH THE FRONT SLOTS OF THE SIDEWALLS AND THE SLOTS OF THE REAR WALL MATING WITH THE REAR SLOTS OF THE SIDEWALLS. 